


traversing time and space to be in your arms

by HobblyWobbly



Series: Therefore You and Me [1]
Category: Final Fantasy XIV
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Hurt/Comfort, Light Angst, M/M, Male Miqo'te (Final Fantasy XIV), Miqo'te Warrior of Light (Final Fantasy XIV), Named Warrior of Light (Final Fantasy XIV), Patch 5.3: Reflections in Crystal Spoilers, Reunions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-13
Updated: 2020-08-13
Packaged: 2021-03-05 21:53:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,104
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25872415
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HobblyWobbly/pseuds/HobblyWobbly
Summary: [5.3 SPOILERS]So lost in the depths of his own mind, he is unawares to the hand that slips into his own, squeezing him back to reality.The weight of it hits him then.“...Mikta?”what happened when mikta enters the tower
Relationships: G'raha Tia | Crystal Exarch/Original Character(s), G'raha Tia | Crystal Exarch/Warrior of Light
Series: Therefore You and Me [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1980121
Comments: 4
Kudos: 50





	traversing time and space to be in your arms

**Author's Note:**

> i have Emotions and couldnt help myself  
> DONT READ IF YOU HAVENT FINISHED 5.3!!!

Mikta finds him in the Ocular, as ironic as it is.

G’raha lays curled on his side, the center of the sanctum's galaxy, the stars encircling him, etching a map of reflections across the crystal, secrets hidden in each crack and space. He is wearing what he’d worn the day he’d sealed the Tower, hair having long since outgrown their habitual braid and fallen in an unruly mess down his back and shoulders.

Carefully, Mikta drops to his knee, resting the spirit vessel beside G’raha’s head, watching the gleam it carried disappear until the crystal emptied, and waits.

And waits.

And _waits._

It hadn’t taken this long with the Scions, had it? Fear, white-hot and searing, fills his veins, a hand cupping G’raha’s face pushing back his bangs and staring into his closed eyes, willing for them to open, desperately ignoring just how _cold_ his skin felt. Another hand slips down to press against his chest, searching for a heartbeat, for some _sign_ that this had worked.

The lenghy pauses in between beats gives cause for worry and only fuels the fear.

 _“Please…”_ He whispers, fighting back the sob creeping up his throat. 

The golden doors are closing again, his figure walking out of reach for a century-long sleep, his existence becoming nothing less than a memory to tell others about. The Light is burning at his lungs again, the hope that had arisen upon realizing the Exarch- _his_ Exarch- had been the same one to steal his heart years ago vanishing, the gunshot reverberating across the arena. The crystal is consuming his body, the hood doing well to hide his face but nothing could hide the way a tear slides down his cheek, how when it reaches the ground there is nothing living left, deaf to Mikta’s screams and sobs.

It was happening again and Mikta was helpless- at the mercy to things he was a stranger to. This is not something he could manipulate his aether to fix, couldn't spend nights poring over in hopes of discovering some ancient secret. The tattoos along his arms _burn,_ wondering just what had been the point of marring himself if he couldn't save the ones he loved. He is losing him and there is nothing he can do. He didn’t know if he could suffer another loss. He didn’t know if he could watch another body be laid into the cold ground below, reduced to nothing more than a slab of rock and memories, never to see their radiant smile again.

So lost in the depths of his own mind, he is unawares to the hand that slips into his own, squeezing him back to reality.

The weight of it hits him then.

 _“...Mikta?”_ G’raha asks, his voice raspy, so quiet it could be lost under the thrum of energy around them. Mikta is unable to tear his gaze away from how G’raha’s eyes crinkle upwards as he yawns, _two_ crimson orbs peering up at him from beneath long lashes, half-hidden by an unruly bit of hair that has fallen back into place, bangs tickling his cheek. “I’ve-”

Mikta leaps forward, tackling G’raha in a hug, the vessel rolling across the floor, empty and long forgotten. His hands fold around his back, drawing him in closer. He sobs upon realizing his body was still flesh and blood and his _own_. The new warmth of G’raha’s body meets his cold skin, giving him hope like he always did before the war, fingers curling into the fabric of his doublet. With each soft touch, more tears fall, crying for the missed time they could never make back, crying to release the tension of the long years.

G’raha pulls his head back and wipes the tears with a calloused finger. Even this roughness brings more relief than his heart could hold. G’raha strokes his hand through Mikta’s hair as if he can't quite believe that this is not part of an almost forgotten dream.

Mikta dips his head, the blood-churning adrenaline that had helped guide his feet now disappearing, leaving him exhausted in more ways than one. His tail seeks out G’raha’s, winding together over the expanse of crystal. He startles when a hand grasps his own, fingers gently running over the knuckles until he loosens his grip on his arm, faint red marks left in its absence, not realizing just how tight it had been. 

How afraid he had been.

“I’m sorry for leaving you, brief as it was. I’m here now.” G’raha whispers then, voice hoarse and soft and _Twelve_ Mikta never wanted him to shut up. His thumb caresses the base of Mikta’s ear causing them both to flick, the nervousness in his eyes betraying his inner worry. 

He had been just as afraid.

“May I ask a favor of my own?” Mikta manages to croak, his knees aching against the floor but not moving. G’raha dips his head indicating for him to continue. The slight movement causes his hair to cascade down his shoulders. Slowly, Mikta lifts his hand and brushes it through his hair and out of his face, making a mental note to pin it up once they get back to the Rising Stones. He was sure there were some pins in his bag.

"Don't,” he swallows, bowing his head, the memory of the crystal consuming his body still fresh at the forefront of his mind. “Don’t leave me- not again." G’raha’s mouth paints a soft smile and he nods once before bringing Mikta into his arms again.

“Never again.” He promises.

“I love you,” Mikta says softly, like it is a secret just for the two of them that no one else should hear, the pounding of his heart at the admission echoing in his ears. “I have always loved you.”

G’raha smiles then and his eyes glitter with unshed tears. The crystal walls around them begin to glow as if reacting to their master’s euphoria, a serene blue glimmer settling over them both, a familiar hum sending pleasant shivers up Mikta’s spine and tingles down to his fingertips and toes.

He presses their foreheads together, their breaths mingling into a single one. When he kisses Mikta it's sweet, gentle, and it tastes of his own tears, a purr building in his chest.

“I love you too.”

They both know they could never make up for the lost time. And now, after so many years, they have the chance to make new memories and wasting time isn't on the agenda. But, for the moment, they stay there in each other’s arms, remembering how it feels to be alive, to be together.

**Author's Note:**

> [Twitter](https://twitter.com/H0bblyW0bbly)


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